Prayers on Paper Wings
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: What is your prayer?" "Friendship," she answered.


A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.

**Prayers on Paper Wings**

"Hello."

Draco Malfoy tore his eyes from the page of the book he was reading and glanced menacingly up at the capricious blonde in front of him. Her blue eyes were wide and expectant as if waiting for him to leap from the chair he was currently sitting in and proclaim something spectacular to her.

"Hello?" Draco blinked at her, wondering why she had picked him of all people to bother at that particular moment. He had a lot on his mind and didn't want to her chasing him around like a stray puppy. A puppy! That's what she needed. She needed a puppy to keep her busy! It was a brilliant idea, or so Draco thought.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice light and airy.

Draco lifted the book a little so as to help her see it better.

"Oh," she nodded, as if having missed some sort of inside joke, "Very well then. I'll sit and watch."

"Watch?" Draco raised an eyebrow. There was no way that he would let her just sit and watch him read; not when he was in this sour a mood.

"Yes," the girl nodded again, "You see, everyone has left for Hogsmead and I haven't anyone to chat with. Would you chat with me?" Draco watched as she raised a hopeful eyebrow.

"No," he answered without skipping a beat.

"No one ever does," Luna sighed, sitting down on the floor next to his chair, "But I suppose I can't blame them. I am different, you know."

"No kidding?" Draco scoffed, pretending to be intently interested in his book when in fact, he was more interested in the girl next to him. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but Luna was interesting. Being around her was never dull. He wished he could say the same to the two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, who had christened themselves his friends since finding out his last name.

"It is a pretty day today, isn't it?"

"I thought I said I didn't want chat," Draco looked down at her. She was humming to herself. Yes, Luna was interesting and never boring but that didn't mean Draco disagreed with the suggestions that she be checked into a mental hospital.

"I've never seen such a blue sky! It is lovely!'

"Then why don't you go outside then?" Draco asked, his voice a tad too harsh.

"What a brilliant idea, Draco!" Luna exclaimed. Before Draco knew what was happening, she had her hand on his arm and was pulling at him, "Let's go outside!"

"I said you, not us!" Draco objected.

"But you can't miss out on a day like today!" Luna cried, "Please, Draco. Come outside with me."

Draco put his book on his lap and looked out the window. The girl did have a point. The sky was a bright blue and the grass was greener than he ever thought possible. Maybe he could actually enjoy himself out there rather than being cooped up in Hogwarts all day.

"Alright," he sighed, "I'll…"

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Luna cried before grabbing Draco's hand and skipping outside. Despite his attempts of withdrawing his hand from hers, Luna had it tight. Draco finally just gave up and ran along beside her. It didn't matter if anyone saw him with her; they were all at Hogsmead anyways.

"Why aren't you at Hogsmead?" Draco blurted out.

Luna stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at him. Her blue eyes blinked with confusion, as if wondering how Draco couldn't possibly know something so obvious.

"You have to have a partner when you go to Hogsmead – someone to be with in case you get lost or something silly like that. I didn't have a partner so I couldn't go."

"Did you want to?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Luna admitted, "Very much so."

"Did you ask someone to be your partner?"

"Oh yes! I asked everyone. I asked Harry but he was going with Ron. I asked Hermione but she was going with Neville…there was no one left to ask."

"There was me," Draco said, his eyes falling to the ground.

"I knew what your answer would be," Luna smiled.

"Oh really now?" Draco scoffed, raising an eyebrow, "Let's hear it then! What would my answer be?"

"Well, first off, you'd scoff and secondly you would make some snide comment about how it's best not to hang out with the loons because they could become too dependent on human social interaction than fending for themselves in the wild."

Draco blushed. She had him pinned down pat. What was he supposed to reply to that?

"It's okay," Luna tried to sound assuring, "Really."

"You know," Draco wrinkled his nose as he tried to fight himself against doing what he was about to do, "Next time you want to go to Hogsmead, just ask me. I'll be your partner."

"Thank you," Luna smiled at him as she sat down cross-legged on the grass, "Sit," she instructed.

"I'm fine up here, thank you."

"Always trying to be higher than everyone else," Luna shook her head.

"Fine," Draco groaned as he sat down across from her, "I'm sitting. Happy?"

"Yes," she nodded truthfully, "So, why aren't you in Hogsmead?"

"I wanted some time alone to just…think."

"And I interrupted that."

"Yeah," Draco nodded coldly, "You did!" Upon seeing her hurt face, Draco's voice softened, "But I never said I regretted that."

Luna nodded and smiled. It suddenly grew quiet – too quiet. Luna began to hum again to herself. Draco couldn't stand it – the sight of her sitting there all alone in her own little world, humming to herself. Probably to hide the voices in her head, Draco thought before mentally hitting himself.

"Do you want to see something?" Draco asked.

"Sure," Luna shrugged.

"Alright then," Draco dug into the pocket of his robes before lifting out a piece of parchment.

"It's just paper," Luna stared at it apprehensively.

"Surely Looney of all people could have a tad bit more imagination than that!" Draco scoffed. Luna pouted and watched as he began to fold and caress the piece of parchment.

"Now then," Draco instructed, "What do you see?"

"A bird," Luna said plainly.

"Right. But it is so lifeless and dull. It seems to just be created for someone else's pleasure and amusement. It seems to need something to set it free. It seems to need," Draco blew onto the paper bird, breathing life into it and causing it soar around their heads, "Life."

"Draco!" Luna exclaimed, "It's beautiful! So…magical and charming and…"

"It's nothing," Draco shrugged.

"It's something! It's very much something! How did you learn to do that?" She demanded.

"It's just something my father taught me when I was little."

"Your father?" Luna's eyes widened.

"He wasn't always the cruel, callous man he is now," Draco smirked, "Believe it or not, he actually used to have a heart."

"Everyone has a heart, Draco. Even you."

For some reason, her words bothered him more so than they usually did. Just what, pray tell did she mean by that? Of course he had a heart! He wasn't as mean as everyone thought he was…was he?

"You'll have to teach me that," Luna said, breaking the sudden silence, "Someday."

"Someday," Draco nodded. He liked the sound of someday.

"Very well then," Luna stood up from the grass and brushed herself off.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"To chase the bird."

"Why?"

"Because," she smirked, "Birds carry prayers to the heavens."

"It's just a paper bird," Draco reminded her.

"Then my prayer shall travel upon paper wings."

"What is your prayer, Luna?" Draco asked, seriously.

"It's already been answered," she replied happily.

Draco looked up at her, confused by her words. Luna grinned, grabbed his hands and pulled him up from the ground. Her eyes were wide with hope and sparkling like the midnight stars. His hands were still in hers as she began to spin with him around in a circle.

"Tell me," Draco laughed, impatiently.

"Friendship," Luna answered


End file.
